LS02 - Lightning Lingers (24 page)

"Maybe they can't look the other way this time. Rodrigo has kidnapped a US citizen, an employee of a powerful corporation," Jake said.

"Perhaps his company should get involved in his rescue," Sylvia suggested, giving Katherine a hopeful look.

"I'm not sure who I would ask at MDT," she replied. "My brother didn't know who to trust at his company, and I don't, either."

"Maybe that doesn't matter anymore," Jake said. "You witnessed your brother being kidnapped. MDT can't try to tell you you're wrong. They'll have to send someone to investigate."

"Or they could make sure TJ dies before he's found."

Jake's lips tightened. "I guess that's possible."

"I don't understand why a drug lord would take my brother. He's an engineer. He doesn't deal in drugs."

"TJ is an engineer who works on weapons systems," Jake reminded her. "Some drug cartels have the weapons of a small army. Perhaps they wanted some of the technology that TJ has been working on. Hell, maybe Jerry's contacts were in Mexico. They were never able to find his co-conspirators. They thought he was selling technology to Middle-Eastern countries, but maybe he was selling to drug cartels in Mexico. That actually would have been easier, given the proximity of Texas to Mexico."

"That makes sense," she said slowly. "When TJ called me, he did say something about he didn't know why they'd sent him to Mexico, but he thought he'd figured it out. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but maybe that's when he realized Mexico was a partner or something…" She paused. "But if TJ knew a local and powerful drug lord might be after him, why would he stay in Mexico? Why would he come to this village? Why not go back to Texas or somewhere else?"

"It's possible he couldn't get out of the country. He might not have known exactly who was after him, either, so he thought buying some time by disappearing into the wilderness would work."

"But they found him." She thought about that. "Did we lead them here, Jake? Those men we saw on the highway—maybe we didn't lose them after all."

"It wasn't the same guys, Katherine. Those men were in a Jeep. They were wearing different clothes."

"They could have switched cars, or they could have still been working for this Rodrigo. Maybe it was the call back home that triggered something. You talked to Rusty. Did you tell him where we were going? I can't remember."

"No, I didn't tell him. I just said you had business to take care of, but even if I had told him, who would he tell?"

"Someone from MDT who went to the airfield asking questions."

"That's a long shot. And I'd trust Rusty with my life. He's been like a second father to me."

His words sent a shiver down her spine. "That's right. Rusty knew your father. He was around when your dad disappeared, and he was around when your plane suddenly lost power and steering capabilities."

"What are you getting at, Katherine?" he asked tightly.

"Just saying it's a coincidence."

"Rusty didn't sabotage my plane," he said, anger in his eyes.

"But lightning doesn't normally take down a plane. You told me that."

"It can. It's been known to happen."

"To two people in the same family ten years apart?"

He shook his head. "Why the hell would Rusty want to kill me or my father?"

"Rusty's charter service caters to MDT executives flying around the world. They could have paid him to sabotage our plane."

"Okay, you're way out there, Kat. I know you're upset, but—"

"What about Alicia?" she interrupted. "Alicia has a private investigator looking into your father's accident, researching MDT. Maybe she did something to send someone in our direction. I shouldn't have spoken to her before I came down here. That might have been a mistake."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have come to me at all," he said, clearly pissed off. "If you'd flown to Mexico on a commercial jet, I wouldn't have spent the last several days running for my life. So if you want to blame someone, maybe look in the mirror."

"Jake—Katherine," Sylvia interrupted. "Stop. Fighting with each other won't help. You need to be partners, work together. You are on the same side."

Sylvia's words made her realize that she was taking her frustration out on Jake. She let out a tense breath. "You're right, Sylvia. I'm sorry, Jake. I'm just really upset."

Jake didn't look like he wanted to accept her apology, but he finally nodded and said, "Fine. Let's move on."

She turned to Sylvia. "We have to get to Rodrigo's ranch and figure out how to rescue my brother. We'll need to borrow a car. Are there any men who might be willing to come with us?"

"I don't know," Sylvia said slowly. "We don't have any local police. The nearest station is ten miles away, and those officers are in Rodrigo's pocket. As for some men, it will be difficult. Everyone is afraid."

"How many people are usually at the ranch?" Jake asked. "Do you have any idea? Have you ever been there?"

"I was there many years ago. At the time, there was a large house, a stable, pastures for cattle and horses as well as farmland."

"So it's big," Katherine murmured, not happy about trying to rescue TJ from some massive compound.

Sylvia nodded.

"Does anyone go in or out on a regular basis?" Jake continued. "Do they have food delivery? I'm looking for a way to get onto the property without arousing suspicion."

"What will you do then?" Sylvia asked before Katherine could fire off the same question.

Jake hesitated. "We'd need to create a distraction of some sort, focus attention away from whoever is guarding TJ."

"And then what?" she asked. "I don't know how you and I can do this alone, Jake. We don't have weapons. We're not soldiers. How can we possibly rescue TJ from a fortress controlled by a drug lord?"

"We'll use something as deadly as a gun—fire. Fire makes people run."

She nodded, thinking about the plane explosion that had sent her and Jake racing through the forest. "That could work. But they might throw TJ in the van and drive somewhere else."

"Maybe we can disable the vans before we set the fire. I know enough about engines to pull some wires, but everything depends on us getting onto the property."

"I will ask my friend Paolo to help us," Sylvia said. "Paolo used to work at the ranch when it was run by Rodrigo's father. He knows many ways onto the property. I'm sure he would be willing to lend you a vehicle. I will send Carmen for him now." Sylvia got to her feet. "While we are waiting for Paolo, you will eat. I will make you lunch, and you will gather your strength for what lies ahead."

"Thanks," Jake said. "But don't go to any trouble."

"It is no trouble to cook for my great-grandson and his Katherine," she said with a smile.

Katherine blew out a breath as Sylvia left the room. "Do you really believe we can do this, Jake? Are we crazy to try on our own? Should I find someone with a phone and call someone at MDT? I could contact TJ's girlfriend, although I don't have her number anymore; it was in my phone. But I'm sure someone could connect me to her."

"I'm not against involving the company," Jake said. "But it will take time to get anyone down here."

She hated to wait another second knowing that TJ was in the hands of some very bad men. "You're right."

"We can do both. We can call MDT and then also go out to the ranch and see what we're up against."

"I just don't want to make this worse. What if I call the wrong person and then they make sure that TJ never gets found?"

"That's the risk. You're really good at pointing out the problems."

"I just wish I was better at fixing them."

"Well, you thought it was going to be too easy," he reminded her.

"Yeah, that was stupid." She paused. "I am sorry that I snapped at you. None of this is your fault."

"I know. You were just angry. I was a good target." He met her gaze. "But Mamich was right about one thing—we need to work together."

"I agree. To be honest, I can't quite believe you're still with me. You didn't even want to get off the plane and set foot in Mexico when this all started."

He smiled. "And look where I am now. Which, according to my great-grandmother, is exactly where I'm supposed to be."

"I wish Sylvia could look into the future and tell me TJ is going to be all right."

"Maybe she can, but I don't think you'll believe it until TJ is with you, and you can see for yourself."

"You're probably right."

"Let's get some food, Kat. Then we'll take another look at our crazy, half-assed plan and decide whether or not we want to talk ourselves out of it."

* * *

Their late lunch was a modest meal of chicken, rice, and beans, but every bite was savory and delicious, seasoned well by the herbs in his great-grandmother's garden.

"You were both so hungry. I should have fed you as soon as you arrived," Sylvia said.

"This is delicious, Mamich, but I noticed that you're not eating," he said.

"I'm glad you like it. I am not as hungry as I used to be. I eat enough to sustain me. That's all I need."

He wished she'd eat a little more. She was very thin, and despite her steely will and sharp mind, she had a fragile quality to her, as if she could break at any moment.

"How is your mother, Jake?"

"She's well. She works at the university."

"Did she remarry?"

"No. She lives alone and seems happy enough. Not that she'd probably tell me if she wasn't. She keeps her thoughts to herself, unless those thoughts are critical of what I'm doing. Then she's very vocal."

"As a mother should be. Alicia writes to me often, but I haven't heard from Danielle in years."

"She just got a new job in Washington, DC. She's going to be working for the US senator from Texas. She moved a few days ago."

"It sounds like an important job."

"I think it is."

"Danielle always needed to be seen, the burden of the middle child."

"I guess. She worked hard at being popular, that's for sure. She has more professional ambition than Alicia and I put together."

"But you are happy flying airplanes?"

"Yes. It's always been my dream job."

"It was the same for your father. Even as a little boy, he would look to the sky whenever he heard a plane. He told me once flying was his way of getting close to the heavens."

That sounded a little like his father but even more like his great-grandmother. "You were really close to him, weren't you?"

"After my daughter died, I looked at Wyatt as if he were own my child. I was very sad when his father took him to Texas, but we had forged a bond that was too strong to break. He came back here as often as he could, and he wrote me many letters." She paused. "I have them in my room. One day perhaps you'll want to read them."

She'd made that offer before when he'd been here ten years ago, but then it had seemed far too painful to consider looking at his father's handwriting, seeing his words. But now, maybe it would be cathartic. "One day," he said, knowing that he needed to keep his emotions about his father and the past at bay. He needed to concentrate on the huge task ahead of them.

Glancing over at Katherine, he saw her staring out the window, lost in thought. She was worried and scared, and he wished he had the power to make her feel better. But that wouldn't happen until they found TJ.

"Would you like more to eat, Jake?" Sylvia asked.

"No, that was enough."

"Katherine?"

Katherine started. "What?"

"Would you like more food?" his great-grandmother inquired.

"No, thank you." She pushed her empty plate away so she could rest her arms on the table. "That was very good. Jake was right. He told me you were a good cook."

"It is easy to cook when the food comes from your garden."

"I can't even imagine," Katherine said. "I barely use my spice rack, not that I have much time to cook."

"You were meant for more than cooking," Sylvia said. "The gift of healing is precious. You must treasure it."

Katherine nodded, but she looked a bit taken aback by his great-grandmother's words. "I never really thought of it as a gift. It's always been a goal that I had to strive for."

"And now that you have it, you will use it wisely."

"I will definitely try."

An odd expression crossed his great-grandmother's face. "You were meant to change the world—both of you. That is why you are here. Why I have dreamed of you these past nights."

"I don't know about the world," Jake said. "We're just trying to find one man."

"One man who is important to this world. I don't know how, but I know that he is. The saving of his life will save many others."

"Can you see if he's okay?" Katherine asked. "Do you have that ability?"

"I feel that he is waiting for you, but his destiny is still to be written."

Katherine nodded. "Okay." She pushed back her chair. "Would you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom."

"It's down the hall by the back door," Sylvia told her.

When Katherine left, she gave Jake a smile. "Your Katherine is as beautiful as you said. I am happy that you are back together with your soul mate."

He wanted to say he didn't believe in soul mates, but he had to admit that if there was such a thing, then Katherine was probably it. "We're not exactly together. She needed me to help find her brother. I don't know where we're going to end up when this is over."

"No one knows the end, Jake."

"Not even you? You seem to have visions of some things."

"Some things become known to me—not all. I know Katherine wanted more assurance from me. I wish I could have given it to her."

"She probably wouldn't have believed you anyway."

"Her mind and her heart are always in battle," Sylvia said.

Jake was surprised that his great-grandmother had read Katherine so well. "Yes, they are. She's afraid of feeling too much."

"Or loving you too hard."

"I let her down a long time ago. I didn't realize it at the time. I thought she was abandoning me, but since we've talked again, I see things I didn't see before."